With her Wayfarers series, Chambers has built the intricate universe of the Galactic Commons – a sci-fi world full of spaceships, aliens, and folks just trying to make it through the day. Following the tales of human-angel crossbreeds known as Shadowhunters, Clare’s contemporary YA fantasy novels track a supernatural war beneath the streets of modern-day cities like Manhattan. It’s going to be epic. The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia 3 . DAW, Credit: Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Put authors' connections to their own cultural mythology at the forefront in fantasies that are both fun and illuminating to read. The Fantasy Hive is hosting a month-long readathon for women in science fiction and fantasy. All … Fiction from J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Diana Gabaldon (Outlander) has inspired some of the most popular film and television of recent years, but there are countless others who fly slightly more under the radar just waiting for their stories to become the next big thing. St. Martin's Griffin; Penguin Books; Tor Books, Credit: The novel, which probed questions of race and colonialism, was a finalist for the 2016 Nebula Award. Margaret K. McElderry Books, Credit: Read 1 228 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. 2017’s women fantasy writers pulled out all the stops this year. Algonquin Young Readers, Credit: Wecker shot to the top of best-seller lists with her 2013 hit The Golem and the Jinni. The article says, “Have a wander through the sci-fi and fantasy section of your local bookstore: How many of these books’ authors are female? South African novelist Lauren Beukes nearly defies her genre, having jumped between fantasy, urban thriller, cyberpunk dystopia, and more. Harper Voyager, Credit: This list include some highly recognizable names, like J.R.R. Link has made her mark on the fiction world with her remarkable short stories that use a heavy dose of magical realism to flit between fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and more. ~ & okay, if you insist… my female YA reads ~. Find their specific submission guidelines here. The sequel follows four women caught up in different sides of a rebellion – using a fantasy lens to examine feminist and anti-colonialist themes. The best fantasy authors of all time, ranked by readers and fans. Dutton Books for Young Readers, Credit: Older has used her years of experience as a humanitarian aid worker (and PhD candidate) to bring the machinations of inter-government dealings to life. Marie Rutkoski – Winner’s trilogy. N. K. Jemisin. This list may not reflect recent changes . If you’re looking for something that stretches the limits of genre, Beukes’ novels are just the thing (and if you need something even more off the beaten path, she’s also written short stories, nonfiction, comics, and more.). The novel, the first in a dystopian YA series, follows the journey of June Iparis, a 15-year-old prodigy in the vein of Divergent’s Tris. Saga Press, Credit: In 1666, Margaret Cavendish wrote the book, The Blazing World, also known as The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World. Author Jenna Glass only has one title to her name: 2019’s fierce feminist fantasy epic The Women’s War. It’s going to be epic. Clare’s influence stretches to TV and film with a cinematic adaptation of The Mortal Instruments and Freeform’s ongoing series Shadowhunters. Here are 27 female authors who rule sci-fi and fantasy right now. When I'm looking for a new fantasy book/series to read I usually shy away from female authors. Rachel Aaron. Women did more than break their way into science fiction and fantasy—they helped define it. A Stranger in Olandria won the British Fantasy Award and World Fantasy Award, while its sequel was a 2017 Locus Award finalist. The long-awaited sequel, The Iron Season, is slated for a 2018 release. These do not influence editorial content, though Meredith may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. 10 Female Fantasy& Sci-Fi Authorsfor You to Explore 01. Her next highly anticipated release, A Line in the Dark, drops this October. With over 45 titles to date, Caine is quite prolific with her sci-fi/fantasy series that follow everything from those with the power to control the the weather to vampires. St. Martin's Griffin, Credit: Featuring middle grade, YA, and adult novels, these unmissable fantasy books by women authors reflect the diversity of the genre—and its endlessly magical opportunities. Reply. When witch/historian Diana Bishop meets vampire/scientist Matthew Clairmont, the pair set a century-spanning mystery in motion. The trilogy follows Essun, a woman who fights to save her daughter at any cost, as a post-apocalyptic war rages around her. Small Beer Press, Credit: Her first adult novel, Who Fears Death, won the 2011 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Both Baker and her protagonist Millie have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, making Millie a rare disabled heroine. Harper Perennial, Credit: She won for The Fifth Season, the first book in The Broken Earth trilogy, which will conclude with The Stone Sky this August. Speak, Credit: With her upcoming July release, The Library of Fates, Khorana slightly switches gears from sci-fi into romantic fantasy with a YA tale steeped in Indian folklore. Tolkein and George R.R. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban book. Many of the authors are known for work outside the fantasy genres. Set in 1899 New York City, the novel combines elements of Jewish and Arab folk tradition as it follows the titular Golem and Jinni as they navigate the challenges of a new life in the city and find themselves on a collision course when their paths cross by chance. Kushiel's Dart is an intricately plotted, sophisticated fantasy novel set on a parallel Earth, and it still manages to make time for some steamy romance on the side. Letting the fantasy build around the romance aspect of the story, they want stories starting from 45,000 words and above. Here are five new novels to look out for in 2018. When I take a look at the books I read in the fantasy genre all of them are written by male authors. Here at EW, we’re always looking for the next great sci-fi or fantasy epic. Every RuPaul's Drag Race season 13 runway look, ranked, Spread the love with EW's Valentine's Day gift guide, The Masked Dancer revealed: Every unmasked celebrity on season 1, Helene-Wecker—the-golem-and-the-jinni, Erika-Johansen—the-queen-of-the-tearling, Barnhill_GirlWhoDrankMoon_HC_jkt_rgb_2MB_HR, A-Closed-and-Common-Orbit-by-Becky-Chambers. Shortly after graduating from USC, Aveyard became a best-selling author with her Red Queen series, a dystopian YA fantasy tale of commoners (Reds) versus elites (Silvers). Set in the late 19th/early 20th century, the book is an alternate history of the African Congo where steam technology has come to Africa a bit earlier, creating a utopic haven in Everfair. Harkness became an international best-selling author when she moonlighted from her day job as a history professor to write the time-traveling fantasy novels of The All Souls Trilogy. Female authors in the Australian fantasy market: some recommendations So, Maldevinine has written an exceptional essay on the history of women’s speculative fiction authorship in Australia. Random House, Credit: Drawing on her background as a Somali-American and a language scholar, Samatar stunned readers with 2013’s A Stranger in Olandria and its sequel, 2016’s The Winged Histories. When Hardinge’s 2015 novel The Lie Tree won the Costa Book Award in Britain, it became the first children’s book to do so since Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass. You must have a goodreads account to vote. Penguin Books, Credit: Fonda Lee is the author of both YA and adult sci-fi and fantasy. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. With 2013’s The Art of Wishing, a YA novel about a young girl who finds herself in possession of a genie, Ribar marked herself as a unique new voice in the genre. Harry N. Abrams, Credit: International Women's Day offers a chance, as if we needed one, to celebrate some of the best female science fiction and fantasy authors. Harkness channeled her expertise as a historian into a nuanced and compelling adult fairytale. Lu worked as an art designer in the video game industry before turning to writing – her upcoming September release, Warcross, centers on this world with a tale of a girl who hacks into a game threatening to consume the planet. I have been featuring fantastic female fantasy authors (see disclaimer) but this has morphed into interesting people in the speculative fiction world. Most well-known science fiction/fantasy authors are men but women have been contributing to the science fiction/fantasy genre since the 17th century. With touching and charming books like The Witch’s Boy and Iron Hearted Violet, Barnhill has carved herself a place in the world of children’s fantasy and science fiction literature. Martin set to executive produce – the network may not have to look very far for the next Game of Thrones. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Rainbow Rowell had already made a name for herself as a YA author with the highly acclaimed novels Eleanor & Park and Fangirl when she went super meta with 2015’s Carry On. Malka Older’s Infomocracy, named a “Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016” book by the Washington Post, follows characters who work for various political parties and election bodies (and who use their power and the system to manipulate and influence the voting public). Mare Barrow, a Red who possesses deadly magical powers, finds herself at the heart of political intrigue and rebellion. HarperTeen, Credit: EW called the series “addictive and immersive,” with Schwab creating a vivid set of magical universes and two unforgettable heroes in Lila and Kell. In her novel Fangirl, a series of books about a boy magician named Simon Snow is central to the plot – Rowell later decided she wanted to tell Snow’s story herself. Hurley has made a distinctive mark with her novels that interrogate gender identity through a sci-fi lens, and she recently published an essay collection entitled The Geek Feminist Revolution. Leckie had one hell of a debut with her 2013 novel Ancillary Justice — it won the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Novel, as well as the Nebula Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the BSFA Award. VE Schwab – Shades of Magic, Monsters of Verity. Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1), Child of the Northern Spring (Guinevere, #1), Isolde, Queen of the Western Isle (Tristan and Isolde, #1), The Birth of Death (The Wages of Sin, #4), The Fall of Innocence (The Wages of Sin #3), House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1), The Dragon Keeper (Rain Wild Chronicles, #1), Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels, #1), The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen Trilogy, #1), Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar, #1), The Bone Doll's Twin (The Tamír Triad, #1), A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1), Fires of the Faithful (Eliana's Song, #1), Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal, #1), The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy, #1), Goodreads Members' Most Anticipated Books of April. N. K. Jemisin made history by winning the Hugo Award three years in a row for The Fifth Season, The... 02. Barnhill won the 2017 Newbery Medal for her novel The Girl who Drank the Moon. The third book in the series, King’s Cage, just released this year and it's set to conclude with a currently untitled fourth entry in 2018. Meredith has affiliate partnerships. Sarah J Maas – A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass. I like lists, so I wrote a (far from complete) list of amazing sff female authors. Her 2016 collection Get in Trouble was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, while many of her short stories have won Hugo and Nebula Awards. Baker made a compelling and unique debut with 2016’s Borderline, a novel Barnes and Noble named one of the best science fiction and fantasy novels of the year. Yet these are where the big movie ideas come from.” Well, actually, quite a lot of the authors are female (and many of them already have sold the film/TV rights to their books). list created November 20th, 2018 Ursula LeGuin At 87 Ursula LeGuin is the oldest person on this list, edging out Gene Wolfe by just one year. 11. BAME Authors Female Authors General Sci-fi Nalo Hopkinson Science Fantasy Synopsis It’s Carnival time, and the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint is celebrating with music, dance and pageantry. Sourcebooks Casablanca, Credit: Mulholland Books, Credit: Khorana’s debut novel, 2016’s Mirror in the Sky, was a YA science fiction novel meets Perks of a Wallflower. Drawing on the traditions of Greek mythology and weaving in powerful magic, Bouchet crafts a story that earned a spot on many Best Romances of 2016 lists and drew comparisons to Game of Thrones. A fourth trilogy, known as The Dark Artifices, set in Los Angeles is currently in the works – Lord of Shadows, the second book in the series, hit shelves in April. Andre Norton has the distinction of being one of the earliest authors on this list. (previous page) Tagged as Aurealis Awards 2015, Contact National SF Convention 2016, Marianne de Pierres Harper Collins, Credit: Lynn Abbey. She runs the website “Diversity to YA” to extend her mission to encourage and promote inclusion in young adult fiction. … The first book in the series gave its name to the TV series that became one of the most talked-about in history. Most recently, she’s published a fantasy trilogy about the Great Library of Alexandria, a new entry (Red Hot Rain) in her Weather Warden series, which has been ongoing since 2003's Ill Wind, and the first book (Honor Among Thieves) in a new sci-fi series she’s co-authoring with Ann Aguirre. Tor Books, Credit: Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce Swords & Spaceships Newsletter Sign up to Swords & Spaceships to receive... 2. Her next book Null States, a sequel to Infomocracy, debuts later this year. Hardinge’s made a name for herself over the past decade with her spooky, twisted YA fantasy novels. Scwhab cast her spell over three novels, ending with 2017’s A Conjuring of Light. She has won two Hugo Awards and a Locus and been a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke and Nebula Awards. Hurley’s first novel only debuted in 2010, but she’s made a quick name for herself as a sci-fi/fantasy writer with fantasy series, The Worldbreaker Saga; the Bel Dame Apocrypha Series, which she dubbed “bugpunk”; and her 2017 standalone space opera, The Stars are Legion. Razorbill, Credit: No list of the best fantasy fiction is complete without George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy fiction series, universally acknowledged to be some of the best fantasy books of all time. Fonda Lee. Johansen proved that YA dystopic female driven fiction was as fresh as ever with her chilling trilogy. Leigh Bardugo – Grisha Trilogy, Six of … But I forced myself to pare down the list, so here are the nine fantasy and sci-fi authors who have most blown my mind. Consequently, a much-maligned National Review article, which dismissed the Bechdel Test and wrote off an absence of women in blockbuster films as a result of the lack of women writing blockbuster-worthy stories, had us raising our eyebrows. Drawing on Biblical tradition and plenty of magic, The Lie Tree charts a tale of a world where lies and truths have an inverse relationship (and effect). After writing a companion novel to Ash called Huntress, she penned two contemporary science-fiction thrillers, Inheritance and Adaptation. This novel marked her as an up and coming author to watch, but it turns out that she has written a variety of urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels under the name Jenna Black. Orbit, Credit: Tor.com, Credit: The series came to its thrilling conclusion with last fall’s The Fate of the Tearling, earning praises for its continued dedication to depicting female characters with multiple avenues of empowerment. She first started... 2) Mercedes Lackey. With her Shades of Magic series, Schwab introduced the world to Four Londons – Grey London, a world without magic, and Red, Black, and White London – three parallel universes that are home to very different and potent types of magic. Bitter Greens book. Writers and authors can use the submission form to send their manuscripts. Looking for sci-fi/fantasy novel with a heavy dose of steamy romance? Broken Monsters, released in 2014, was described as an “urban Grimm’s fairytale,” while 2013’s The Shining Girls tracks a time-traveling serial killer. Female Fantasy Authors. We have celebrated female authors on the Books site before, but we contacted some of our readers and asked them to tell us which female writers shaped their lives. CBS Films snatched up the rights to Marie Lu’s Legend before it even hit shelves. Named one of the Top 10 Books of 2016 by Time, the novel follows childhood friends Patricia and Laurence, who grow up to study magic and become a mad scientist, respectively. Fantasy Has Always Been Female: 10 Women Authors Who Shaped The Genre 1) Andre Norton. Her second novel A Closed and Common Orbit was shortlisted for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Filed under Australian Writers, Awards, Conferences and Conventions, Conventions, Fantasy books, Female Fantasy Authors, Fun Stuff, Nourish the Writer, Promoting Friend's Books. I don't think this is right and I think I'm missing out on some great work. Link’s an expert in her genre – she and husband Gavin J. Nik … Martin, along with some contemporary fantasy writers who are just beginning to make their mark on the genre.